Rojak (Malaysian)

Rojak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad commonly found in Malaysia and Singapore that combines cucumber, pineapple, jicama, bean sprouts, and fried tofu. These ingredients are tossed in a thick, sticky dressing made from fermented shrimp paste, giving the dish its signature sweet, sour, and savory profile.

The dressing for Malaysian rojak is built around fermented shrimp paste—known as belacan or hay ko—thickened with lime juice, palm sugar, chili, and tamarind. This combination creates an intense umami flavor that balances sweetness, acidity, and heat in a single sauce.

Traditional Malaysian rojak is not vegetarian because its dressing is made with fermented shrimp paste. However, vegetarian versions do exist, substituting the shrimp paste with alternative umami sources such as fermented soybean paste to approximate the flavor.

Fruit rojak, the Malaysian and Singaporean version, is a salad of raw fruits and vegetables in a sticky shrimp-paste dressing. Indian rojak, known as rojak mamak in Singapore, is an entirely different dish featuring fried dough fritters, boiled potatoes, eggs, and bean curd served with a sweet-spicy peanut dipping sauce.